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  • Vitaliy Musiyenko completes 32-mile Goliath Traverse in High Sierra

    From August 2 to 10, Vitaliy Musiyenko made the first traverse of Goliath–a linkup of gargantuan proportions along the Sierra Crest, in California’s Sierra Nevada Range. Over the course of eight days Musiyenko covered approximately 32 miles of mostly technical terrain, 80,000 feet of elevation gain, and 60 summits above 13,000 feet, including eight Fourteeners.…

  • The Climbing Life | Alpinist 75

    Alpinist 75 will be available on newsstands soon. In the meantime, we’re offering a preview of The Climbing Life section, with a story by Douglas Brockmeyer about a 1970s magazine photo that inspired him to become a climber (and thus changed the course of his existence), poems by Katherine Indermaur about the fourth-century pilgrim Egeria…

  • Gnarly Nutrition BCAAs: A dietary supplement geared especially for vegans, alpinists and older athletes

    Mountain Standards Gear Review: Digital Editor Derek Franz has been using the Gnarly Nutrition Pre and BCAA (branched chain amino acid) dietary supplements for the past year. Though unable to definitively say how much of a difference, if any, the supplements have made for his fitness, he writes: “What I do know, is that my…

  • A season of spontaneous commitment in the Alaska Range

    Between late April and the end of May, Mike Gardner and Sam Hennessey added a new line on Denali’s Isis Face that they dubbed Anubis (Alaska Grade 6: AI5 M6, 6,900′); ascended the classic Bibler-Klewin on the North Buttress of Begguya (Mt. Hunter); and then finished by climbing Denali’s Cassin Ridge in deep snow with…

  • Local Hero: Vasu Sojitra

    In this Local Hero story from Alpinist 74–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–Dani Reyes-Acosta celebrates the community-building work and mountain adventures of ice climber and backcountry skier Vasu Sojitra, co-founder of the Inclusive Outdoors Project.

  • US-Colombian trio complete a new route on Peru’s Concha de Caracol (5640m)

    On July 13 and 14, Andres Marin, Anna Pfaff and Alex Torres completed a new route on Concha de Caracol (5640m) in Peru’s Cordillera Vilcanota. Cerveza, Pan y Acido (ED: 90°, 700m), which translates as “beer, bread and acid,” is the second route on the mountain’s south face. The climbers weathered an open bivy below…

  • Nejc Zaplotnik, Mountain Poet

    As one of the first ascensionists of the West Ridge Direct of Chomolungma (Everest), Slovenian alpinist Nejc Zaplotnik (1952-1983) was among the great climbers of the twentieth century. To many, however, he is best known for his lyrical memoir, The Way (“Pot” in Slovenian), which gave voice to the dreams of his generation and beyond.…

  • Chantel Astorga completes first female solo of Denali’s Cassin Ridge in 14 hours, 39 minutes

    At 8 p.m. June 14, Chantel Astorga became the first woman to solo the Cassin Ridge on Denali (20,310′), completing the route in just 14 hours and 39 minutes. Generations of alpinists have considered the Cassin (Alaska Grade 5, 5.8, AI4) a formidable and coveted objective. Astorga, who works as an avalanche forecaster in Idaho…

  • Marek Holecek and Radoslav Groh endure an epic to complete a new route on Baruntse

    On May 21, two-time Piolet d’Or recipient Marek “Mara” Holecek and fellow Czech climber Radoslav “Radar” Groh set out to climb a new route on the west face of Baruntse (7129m) in Nepal’s Hunku Valley. They packed food for six days–they were on the mountain for ten. After several storm-bound days on the way up…

  • 1993: Picture on a Wall

    In this Mountain Profile essay from Alpinist 74–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–Greg Child recounts the first ascent of the East Pillar Direct on Slesse (Selisi) with Perry Beckham in 1993. To read more history about this 2429-meter peak in British Columbia, check out Tami Knight’s Mountain Profile in Issue…

  • Years of Sunsets

    In this Sharp End story from Alpinist 74–which is now available on newsstands and in our online store–Editor-in-Chief Katie Ives ponders her obsession with mountaintop sunsets, and the question posed to her by a college professor years ago: “How many more sunsets will you see?”

  • Dragon Alliance PXV2 Goggles: Sun protection for a range of activities and conditions

    Mountain Standards Gear Review: IFMGA/AMGA guide Mike Lewis has been using the Dragon Alliance PXV2 snow goggles this past winter. The goggles come with two fog- and scratch-resistant lenses, and feature a Swiftlock changing system that allowed him to swap out the lenses with gloved hands on a ski lift. He writes: “My suggested ideal…

  • Ryan Driscoll, Justin Guarino and Nick Aiello-Popeo Send The Medusa Face on Mt. Neacola

    From April 18-25, 2021, Ryan Driscoll, Justin Guarino and Nick Aiello-Popeo made the first ascent of the north face (or Medusa Face) of Mt. Neacola, in the Neacola Mountains of Alaska’s Aleutian Range. They followed the line of Topher Donahue and Kennan Harvey’s 1995 attempt for the first roughly 3,500 feet, before adding more than…

  • Brette Harrington and Dylan Cunningham Make the First Ascent of the Northeast Face of Mt. Niblock in Banff National Park

    On April 17, 2021, Brette Harrington and Dylan Cunningham made the first ascent of the northeast face of Mt. Niblock in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies (traditional lands of Stoney Nakoda, Ktunaxa, Blackfoot, and Tsuut’ina Nations). Their 14-pitch route–Just a Nibble (5.10- M6R WI5, 500m)–took 15 hours to climb.

  • Arizonan Trad Testpiece East Coast Fist Bump (5.14a) Gets First Recorded Female and First Recorded Trans Ascents

    On Jan 29, 2021, Brittany Goris made the first recorded female ascent of East Coast Fist Bump (5.14a), a single-pitch trad climb at the Waterfall crag in northern Arizona (Apache, Hopi, Pueblo and Hohokam territory). Just a few weeks later, Lor Sabourin also sent the route for its first recorded trans ascent.

  • The Trango Agility 9.1mm Rope: Red Flags are a good thing

    Mountain Standards Gear Review: IFMGA/AMGA Mountain Guide Mike Lewis has been appreciating the Trango Agility 9.1mm rope for its handling and added safety feature of prominent red markings on each end of the line. He writes: “I believe the red ends will likely become a standard in rope design and manufacturing, and…the tight ‘Spider Wear’…

  • No Room for Hate: Building a Community to Help End Asian and AAPI Invisibility in the Outdoor Industry

    During the pandemic, as hate crimes have risen against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US, Marinel Malvar de Jesus examines ways to build a safer and more inclusive community in the climbing world, the outdoor industry, and beyond.

  • Cerro Huinay (1430m) in Chilean Patagonia Gets First Ascent

    From February 11 to 25, 2021, 1430-meter Cerro Huinay was climbed by four Chilean climbers: Nicolas Gutierrez, Pancho Herrera, Sebastian Rojas and Hernan Rodriguez. The 1000m, 25 pitch 5.12 A2+ was the first ascent of the wall–one of the biggest in Chilean Patagonia.

  • Alpinist partners with Korean publisher to launch Alpinist Korea

    Alpinist is proud to announce the recent partnership with Mountain Journal in Seoul, South Korea, to launch Alpinist Korea–a magazine that prints Alpinist stories translated into Korean, as well as some original articles by Korean authors.

  • Remembering Karen Stolz (1955-2021)

    A bright light in the Adirondacks went out on April 1 with the passing of Karen Stolz from pancreatic cancer. She was 65. Karen co-owned Adirondack Alpine Guides with her husband R.L., and she was one of the earliest and longest-serving female guides in the region. “All told, she guided 37 years and around 5,000…

  • American Alpine Club announces Catalyst Grant for BIPOC and LBGTQIA+ people

    The American Alpine Club (AAC) is now accepting applications for its new Catalyst Grant, a program intended to support underrepresented groups, including BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals. The application deadline is May 31 and the winners will be announced in June.

  • Metolius Ultralight Offset Master Cams: A good choice for desert aid climbing

    Mountain Standards Gear Review: Alpinist Digital Editor considers the merits of the oft-overlooked Metolius Offset Master Cams during a solo aid-climbing trip to Arches National Park (Ancestral Puebloan, Hopi, Navajo, Ouray, Paiute, Uintah, Ute, Zuni land). While he generally prefers the other brands, Franz notes that the Metolius design has its place on the rack.…

  • Call It Dreaming

    In this Climbing Life story from Alpinist 73–which is now on newsstands and in our online store–Suzana EL Massri reexamines her dreams during years of conflict and pandemic. She writes: “A multitude of decisions, chaos and chance forms our existence. Any sense to it is created by us, and it requires a daring belief in…

  • American Alpine Club moves forward with its Climb United Initiative with a public forum April 21

    The American Alpine Club (AAC) announced the formation of their Climb United initiative in February of this year. In March, Alpinist participated in a meeting of the Climb United Route Naming Task Force, which was formed to try “to build the best publishing practices to avoid harm caused by discriminatory or oppressive route names,” according…